29. Declan
Declan
I ’m clenching my teeth so tightly, I’m surprised they don’t crack; my anger volatile and seething as I work to keep it off my face. The girls are wasted enough that they don’t notice. Instead, they’re mouthing off about Lucas again, calling him that lawyer fuck .
I pull up to the entrance of the secured underground parking in Sasha’s complex, using the code she gives me, and pull into a visitor park. Leaving the car running to keep the heat going, I look at Lily. “Wait here.”
Her eyes are drooping, but they still flare wide like she’s about to argue when Sasha pipes up, “You don’t have to walk me up.
” She’s slurring, her words running together so fast it takes a second to untangle them.
She shoves her door open and spills out onto the concrete floor with a shriek.
Lily spins with a gasp, staring back at the open door before a sweet giggle escapes her.
She claps a hand over her mouth before looking back at me, whispering, “I’ll wait here. ”
“Thank you.” I reach out, brushing my knuckles down her cheek, wondering if the pink color is all alcohol-induced.
A pitiful moan reaches us and I shake my head with a chuckle, getting out and quickly heading around to lift Sasha to her feet, even as she gives the best damned impression of a newborn giraffe. “C’mon, Sash. ”
The apartment complex she lives in is decent, with good security, and the parking garage is well lit and monitored, so I’m confident that Lily will be safe. Still, I beep the locks of the car, ignoring the dark glare Lily levels at me, and lead Sasha over to the elevator.
We don’t talk as we head up, Sasha concentrating everything she has on just keeping her balance.
Even then, she still ends up leaning against me, forcing me to take her weight.
The elevator stops on the ground floor, opening to reveal an older woman, her eyes taking in Sasha before narrowing on me.
She leans forward, hissing, “Sasha. Are you okay? Do you know him?” Her lashes flutter dramatically as she flicks another fierce look in my direction. “Has he drugged you?”
Sasha doesn’t help the situation at all by laughing uproariously. “Yeah, Mrs. P., he’s an asshole.” Just when I think the lady might beat me with her oversized purse, Sasha adds, “This is Lily’s husband.” A frown. “Ex-husband.” A head shake. “Man friend?”
Man friend, I mouth to myself, deciding that next time Lucas messages me to give these two a ride, I’ll tell him to do it himself. It’s a full-out lie, because I’ll always be there for Lily, but the illusion makes me feel a little better.
“Oh,” the woman says, leaning back and smoothing back a strand of gray hair. “Well…” she hesitates, still looking at me suspiciously. “If you’re sure.”
She finally comes in, pressing the button for her floor and letting the doors shut.
“I’m just making sure Sasha gets home,” I tell her smoothly. “Lily is waiting for me in the car.”
Her shoulders ease down slightly, but her eyes are still wary.
“I like Lily.” There’s a tense pause before the elevator stops, the doors opening.
“This is my floor.” She backs slowly out of the car, almost like she doesn’t want to take her eyes off me.
“Sasha, come find me tomorrow. I’ll bake cookies.
” And make sure you’re alive, I finish in my head.
The doors shut, cutting off her view, leaving us alone. Every so often, Sasha will break the silence with a drunken snort-giggle, and then we’re stumbling down her hallway. I grab her keys out of her bag and unlock the door, practically dragging her inside to set her down on her sofa .
She peers up at me, her grin crooked. “Thanks for the ride, but you’re still a dick.”
My lips curl up. “And tequila only makes you more charming.” Her eyes slide shut, and she slumps over. “You gonna be okay?”
“Yep!” She wiggles further down until she’s lying flat. “I have painkillers and water. And I messaged another instructor before the first shot to take over my morning classes.”
“Good.” I watch her for a moment to be sure, but the urge to get back to Lily is riding me hard. “I’ll head out. Got another passenger to taxi home.”
She makes a soft noise and I pause, looking back down to find her eyes on me and clear. “She told me everything.”
I nod. “I figured.”
“She wants to trust you.” Her mouth twists. “If you hurt her again…”
“What?”
“I’ll bury you so deep, even archeologists won’t be able to find you.”
My eyebrows lift, but I don’t make the mistake of laughing.
She might be drunk, but Lily is her chosen family.
I met her eyes, not hiding anything. “I’ll spend the rest of my life making up for my mistakes, Sasha.
I’ll never forget the pain I caused or the ego that led me to make those choices.
” I give her a gentle smile. “Lily makes me a better man, but she doesn’t need me.
If she chooses to let me go after everything, I’ll respect that. ”
She blinks. “Will you?”
“I’ll never stop fighting, but if that means taking a step back and helping her find happiness with someone else?” I shrug a shoulder, acting like the words didn’t burn on my tongue. “I’ll do it.”
“Hmm…” she narrows her eyes. “I guess we’ll just have to wait and see, won’t we?”
“Guess so.” There’s a quilted throw blanket over the back of the couch, so I stand up and pull it over her. “Night, Sasha.”
I’m positive that by the time I step out of her apartment, she’s already crashed.
By the time I’m back in the car, Lily’s leaning against the window, her lashes resting against her cheeks. I pause there, my stare tracing over the elegant curve of her cheek, her slightly parted mouth, and delicate chin.
It’s been days since I last saw her. After she agreed to go on another first date with me, there’d been expectation in her eyes, waiting for me to tell her when and where. But I had an idea for how I wanted this to play out, and rushing through it wasn’t part of it.
Especially now with Silvia adding her hat into the ring.
Thinking of her has my anger rising to the surface again, but I batten it down, turning the radio off before pulling out of the parking garage and pointing the car towards her cottage.
The roads are quiet, the drive passing by quickly; the soundtrack of her soft snuffles filling the car.
It happens whenever she shifts, and every time, my lips kick up in a smile, even as something tight pinches in my chest.
I miss her so goddamn much.
I pull into her driveway and kill the engine, heading around to her side. With the door open, I crouch down, “Lily.”
As I stroke my fingers over the softness of her cheek, she leans into my touch and my heart skips a beat, hating that I have to wake her.
Her brow furrows when I call her name, but she doesn’t open her eyes.
Putting her bag in her lap and palming her keys, I pull her into my arms, straightening and bumping the car door shut.
Lily hooks an arm around my neck, letting out a soft sigh, her whole body relaxed, like even asleep she knows she’s safe with me.
“Let’s get you inside,” I murmur, unable to stop myself from nuzzling the top of her head. It’s an awkward maneuver to get the door unlocked, but eventually I’m gently laying her down in her bed. I back away, but she stops me, wrapping both arms around my neck and clinging tightly with a groan.
“Lily—”
“You smell good,” she mumbles, her breath hot against my skin, making the hairs on the back of my neck lift. “Why do you always smell so good?”
I can’t stop the rough groan that escapes me at her words.
Before I can pull back, she’s shifting, softly pressing her lips to mine.
She whimpers, her fingers sliding into my hair, scratching at my scalp, her tongue teasing against my bottom lip.
For just a second, I don’t pull away, slanting my mouth against hers, promising myself just one taste, my tongue tangling with hers.
She tastes like tequila and citrus. But underneath the tangy bitterness, she’s … sweet .
Desire shoots down my spine like electricity, and my dick hardens behind my zipper, the metal teeth biting even through the fabric of my briefs. It acts like a bucket of icy water, dousing my lust as quickly as it came, reason creeping back in.
I tear my mouth from hers, gently grabbing her wrists and pulling her arms down from around my neck. Her pulse is fluttering rapidly at the base of her throat as she blinks up at me, her eyes confused and hurt as I desperately put some space between us, sitting by her hip.
“I can’t,” I say hoarsely, hating myself when her eyes shutter, her guard going back up. “Not like this, Lily. I need to go.”
She shakes her head, hair mussing against the pillow under her. “Stay, Declan.” Her voice dips temptingly.
“No,” I whisper back. “Not when you’ll regret it tomorrow.” Something flashes across her face that tells me I’m right, and fuck, that hurts more than anything else.
I rasp out, “Harbor of Hope.” It was a charity organization that raised money to support underprivileged children, something that was close to both her and Sasha’s hearts.
She stares at me, nonplussed. “What about it?”
“I want you to come with me to their charity gala.” Her expression doesn’t change, but I sandwich one of her hands in both of mine, pressing our skin together. “I want it to be our first date.”
Her mouth trembles slightly. “That’s two weeks away.” Her tone is careful, not giving anything away.
“Yes.” I agree, feeling like I’m balancing on a knife-edge, with no safe landing on either side. “If you’d be open to it, we could spend time together before then. Not dates, but just…relearning each other.”
Her eyes dart away from mine, brows dipping together.
“I don’t know. That’s a highly publicized event.
” Her concern is understandable considering the social fervor over the state of our marriage and my family.
I was hoping it would all die down by the gala, but Silvia’s smear campaign against Lily has nixed that idea .
“Please, Lily.” I’m not above begging. “I want to show you that things are different. That they will be different.”
“And going to a black-tie event will do that?” She shoots me the most dubious look and I bite my amusement back, dipping my chin.
“Okay. Fine.” Her tone is so grudging, I can’t stop my smile, and she rolls her eyes. “I reserve the right to change my mind,” she warns.
“Fair deal,” I say back, leaning over and pressing a quick kiss to the corner of her mouth. Resisting the urge to linger, I stand. “Be right back.”
I head into her kitchen, grabbing a bottle of water from her fridge and then into the bathroom for some pain relief. Back in the bedroom, she hasn’t moved an inch, her expression contemplative. I set the water and pills beside her on the bedside table.
“Here, baby. Drink some water before you go to sleep. I’ll lock the door on my way out. Sweet dreams.” I press one last kiss to her forehead.
“Night,” she whispers back. I pause at her bedroom door, looking back to see her pressing two fingers to the spot where my lips had touched her skin, and then I’m gone.
Not stopping until I’m safely tucked behind the wheel of my car, phone already in hand with Carter’s contact details pulled up, I call him. It rings twice before I hear a grumbled, “Do you know what fucking time it is?”
“Yes, I’m aware,” I respond dryly. “I’m also aware you weren’t asleep.”
Carter doesn’t reply, but the low feminine murmur in the background answers for him. “What do you want? I’m busy.”
“You still have that folder I asked you to hold on to?”
A pause before a sly, “Yeah,” comes through the line.
“Bring it to the Hi-Tech offices tomorrow. First thing.”
“You sure about this?”
“Yes. Her house of cards is coming down.”